50 Companies’ Biggest Cloud Identity Security Mistakes
▼ Summary
– Most organizations lack basic cloud identity security controls, exposing them to breaches and compliance violations, with an average of 40 control failures per company.
– The report analyzed 50 enterprises and found common high-risk issues like missing MFA, over-privileged roles, and stale credentials, which made up 70% of severe findings.
– Cloud-specific trends include AWS users operating without MFA, Google Cloud relying on broad TokenCreator roles, and Azure leaving high-risk roles open across subscriptions.
– Weak identity hygiene increases security risks, audit challenges, and cyber insurance costs, while enforcing key controls reduces audit findings and improves security posture.
– Regulatory pressures are increasing, with new laws like EU’s DORA and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act pushing for stronger identity governance and addressing AI misuse.
Businesses continue to struggle with cloud identity security, exposing them to unnecessary risks and compliance failures. A recent industry analysis of 50 enterprises revealed alarming gaps in basic protection measures, with each organization averaging 40 high-risk control failures. These findings come from real diagnostic scans rather than self-reported surveys, offering concrete evidence of widespread vulnerabilities.
The study examined cloud environments across multiple sectors, comparing actual security postures against established standards like ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and SOC 2. One consistent theme emerged: companies repeatedly neglect fundamental safeguards despite growing regulatory scrutiny. Missing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative accounts topped the list of oversights, followed by excessive user permissions, outdated credentials, and poorly managed machine identities. Together, these four issues accounted for 70% of critical security flaws identified.
Experts emphasize that these aren’t sophisticated attack vectors, they’re basic weaknesses that threat actors actively exploit. A single compromised password without MFA can grant attackers full access to cloud infrastructure, while static service account keys create persistent backdoors. The risks extend beyond breaches; weak controls lead to failed audits, higher insurance premiums, and lost business opportunities.
Platform-specific trends revealed distinct challenges. AWS environments frequently lacked MFA enforcement, while Google Cloud users over-relied on broad TokenCreator roles. Azure subscribers often left overly permissive “Owner” access unchecked across entire subscriptions. These patterns highlight how cloud providers require tailored security approaches rather than one-size-fits-all policies.
Regulatory bodies worldwide are tightening requirements, with new EU, Indian, and U.S. regulations mandating stricter identity governance. Emerging threats like AI-powered identity fraud have also prompted legal updates. Organizations implementing core controls, such as privileged MFA, time-limited access, automated key rotation, and credential vaulting, report fewer compliance issues and stronger security postures.
The message is clear: proactive identity management isn’t optional. Companies benchmarking their practices against industry standards gain visibility into vulnerabilities before attackers or auditors expose them. As cloud adoption grows, so does the cost of overlooking these foundational security measures.
(Source: HelpNet Security)
